The Naked Indian Woman

Book excerpt: This collective literary effort has taken the stories of 16 ‘everyday’ women from India – a housemaid, a lawyer, a divorcee, a doctor battling Covid-19, a single mother… It covers their most intimate stories in easy-to-read free verse. It is time the voice of the common Indian woman got heard - with all the unique challenges she faces living in this cultural ecosystem, with all its attendant heartaches and joys, highs and lows. This is the voice of the unheard women of India. And they are speaking out bravely, without fear of shame or social ostracisation. They want to inspire other women – just ordinary, everyday women like themselves – to start speaking their truth by sharing their (often painful) histories and lifting the veil on the unspoken. This anthology covers sexuality, societal judgement, divorce, education systems for women, domestic slavery, parental control and interference, in-laws and misogyny... It comprises powerful stories that tell of the hidden powerhouse that drives this nation. One that is finally breaking free of the chains that have kept them bound for as far back as any of us can remember. These are the stories of the battles and triumphs of every Indian woman and this book is a salute to their everyday courage and resilience.